


Wordless Ways to Say I Love You

by SouthernCross



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Fluff, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Short & Sweet, Snark, Writing Exercise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-03-01 07:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18795520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SouthernCross/pseuds/SouthernCross
Summary: Darcy and James and all the ways they show how much they care.





	1. 50-Buying them a special treat when you go out shopping

**Author's Note:**

> 50 writing prompt list off Tumblr. Personal goal to set them all against a wintershock background. Fluff and sweetness abounds. Rating will change eventually.

 

'You do that a lot.’

 

Wanda's comment had Darcy looking up from the bag of odds and ends she was unpacking onto the kitchen counter.  She had made a grocery run which had turned into a dollar store linger and finally a craft store splurge. Darcy looked at the boxes lemonheads she had picked up at the dollar store.  Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks she didn't bother to deny it. 

 

'I thought he might like a treat.’

 

The smile Wanda gave her was wide and rare.  

 

'You are kind to him.’

 

Darcy bristled.  

 

'Of course I am.  Why wouldn't I be.’

 

Bucky Barnes, please call me James, deserved all the kindness the world had to offer him.  He had been given the shittiest of shitty deals by the universe. War, POW, War, Train, Chair and when things should have gotten better a giant purple dick turned him to dust then his best friend fucks off for a girl.  Yeah he deserved all the candy. 

 

'Wait is someone not being nice to him?’

 

The thought that someone, anyone, would or could think less of him just pissed her off.  

 

Wanda shook her head.  'No, no one is unkind to him, but very few interact with him as you do. Very few buy him his favorite candy just because.’

 

Oh.  

 

'Well maybe more people should.’

 

'Indeed.’

 

Not sure she was ready to examine the implications of what Wanda was suggesting she pulled out the purple bottle of nail polish and asked if Wanda would help with her toes.  

  
  



	2. 27-Leaving a plate of food in the microwave for when they have a late shift.

'Can I-’

'No you cannot. I'm saving it for later.’

Sam eyed the plate food, overflowing, and opened his mouth to call bullshit. Darcy rolled her eyes. 

‘I’m saving it for James.’ 

Whatever Sam had been about to snark at her fled in surprise. She smirked as his mouth gaped open and then closed. 

‘Barnes is getting the leftovers?’

There was equal parts incredulity and whine in the sentence. Admittedly the meatloaf and potatoes were banging, Darcy didn't like cooking but when she did she made sure it was worth it. 

'He's been pulling a lot of late nights. I thought he might be hungry. You know how he is.’

Sam rocked back on his heels. 'I do indeed. I was unaware you did though.’

She shrugged taking out the aluminum foil to wrap the plate. 

'I know you guys are spread thin. I know he takes more than his fair share. And it's hard not to miss how many meals he's skipped.’

Darcy had met James post Incident. Jane had relocated to the newly built Avengers complex. Thor had left a heartfelt voicemail, she had wondered when he had gotten a phone, encouraging them to talk to Pepper Potts. He had asked nicely to consider helping his brothers and sisters in arms. With what Jane had already gleaned from the stars with cobbled together tech there was no telling what she could pull off with real funding and real tech. The Galaxy had proven to be a wonderful and terrible place and the Earth needed all the help it could get. 

So Jane had taken the job and where Jane went Darcy followed. 

In the first week she had met most of the Avengers and had gotten a special briefing on James Buchanan Barnes from Maria Hill herself. When the video file from shaky camera footage had shown him fighting Steve Rogers she thought that man a sharp contrast to the slim, albeit fit man, in more recent photos. 

James had lost weight and muscle mass and it concerned her. She hardly knew him, was in no way qualified to say if he was losing the weight on purpose. If anyone should be allowed body autonomy it was him but she wondered if he was making a conscious effort to change his body or if he was just not keeping up with what his body needed in calories. She suspected the latter, Sam did as well given the nod and thoughtful look he was giving her. 

None of her offerings had been ignored so she didn't think it was doing any harm. 

'He's a grown-up and I know he can take care of himself. He's not broken.’

Her voice had an edge to it whenever she heard someone say anything disparaging about her favorite Sargeant. 

Sam held up his hands. 

'I agree, little mama, but most people don't.’

With a sniff Darcy put the plate in the fridge, and shot James a text letting him know it was waiting for him if he wanted it. 

'Sam Wilson I can hardly believe you considered me most people.’

He laughed, 'I won't make that mistake again.’


	3. 37-Making sure to be quiet while they’re taking a nap.

The surprise of seeing her, head resting on her arms on the kitchen island, brought a smile to his face.  James wasn't one to smile much, she had told him that was a damn shame, but it had been so long since he had had anything worth smiling about he was out of practice.  

 

Darcy has assured him she could help with that.  

 

Stepping further into the kitchen, there had been some strange readings coming off some NASA satellites and the Foster lab had been pleaded upon to help, so he knew that had meant even later nights than usually for Darcy.  Finding her asleep in the kitchen was the not worst place he could have found her, nor was it the worst place he had found her There had been some peculiar spots before today. 

 

She had made him promise not to wake her unless there was an imminent threat  of a repeat of the TV room disaster. He knew she had had a kink in her neck for days and the stain from her spilling her coffee all over her 3rd favorite sweater had not come out. 

 

A closer look showed him that she was comfortable enough resting on her arms and the coffee cup to her left was empty.  He moved it silently to the sink, just to be safe. Pulling his phone from his pocket he pulled up the app people used in the facility.  In addition to placing service requests you could ask for help finding any location on site. James knew Darcy used that one a lot. Smiling he pulled up the text box that could be used to talk to FRIDAY.  When he had first moved in he had not been keen on talking to a disembodied voice, he had gotten over it though, FRIDAY was his main source of information. When he didn't know something or catch a reference or got a little bit lost in his head FRIDAY was there.  

 

Today he used the app because he didn't want to risk waking Darcy even though he knew that if the tea she had brewed, her emergency stash, hadn't worked at keeping her awake she was out for the count.  

 

'FRIDAY please enact privacy settings for the kitchen and reroute all non-emergency calls and visits to a different floor.’

 

The reply was instantaneous.  

 

'Of course Sargeant Barnes, should I notify the lab that Miss Lewis will not be returning at this time.’

 

'Yeah you should do that.  And send a message to whoever is closest to check on Foster.  If Darcy is out Jane might be too.’

 

Doctor Foster, Jane, prefered curling up on the floor when the need for sleep overtook her.  The self preservation made him worry less that she had fallen asleep on top of some equipment or something she could roll off of, but better to be safe than sorry.  

 

Taking a bottle of water from the fridge and an orange from the bowl on the island he hopped up on the counter behind Darcy.  Close enough to stop her from toppling over but far enough away to not be creepy. Thumb sliding across his phone screen he pulled up the ereader, he still preferred physical novels, and had amassed quite a collection but he couldn't ignore the convenience of having a library in his pocket.  

 

Jane had recommended The Martian, he had made no secret of his love of science once he had realized the space lab Foster ran was nothing like the ones he had lost years too, and he was a frequent visitor.  

 

Afternoons in the labs, late nights out in the field had drawn him further into the science circle. He knew how to load and offload the equipment to Jane's particular standards, he knew which lab notes to copy and which to shred, he knew which playlist to queue up when a break through was imminent and how they took their coffee.  

 

They were bossy and stubborn and brilliant and insisted he was their personal security detail and they made sure he was up to date on movies and music and always included him in taco Tuesday. 

 

He had made friends.  

 

Jane used him as a sounding board when the ideas were there but not clear enough. 

 

She was his friend. 

 

Darcy used him as a pillow when the stars spilt across the sky in a dazzling array of ice and fire. 

 

They were friends.

 

Glancing up at Darcy he wondered, not for the first time, if that was all they were.  

  
  
  
  
  



	4. 22- Listening to them while they vent

He wasn't sure how he was helping, she had sworn after the first time that just answering had helped (he always answered her calls), so he listened intently as she went through her day. Darcy on a good day was a chatterbox using more words than were necessary to convey any and all messages. Irritated Darcy conserved her words, short, choppy sentences that gave highlights. 

James wondered if she held tight to her words because she was holding tight to her temper, wondered if she actually let go would she raise hell. A part of him might like to see that he thinks, full of fire and blazing a path through the idiocies and intricacies of STEM bureaucracy. 

'I appreciate this you know.’

'It's no trouble.’

And it wasn't. Anytime with Darcy for any reason brightened his day. 

'I'm sure it is but I am still going to call until you don't answer.’

'Never gonna happen, doll.’ The smile came easy, he could picture her, the blush rising in her cheeks. Sam had wondered what was going on with them, James wondered that himself. There was friendship and trust, two things that did not come easy for him, and he would never want to jeopardize that, but he wanted more.

Wanting more, picturing a more between them, consumed more of his time than he was willing to admit. Maybe he should talk to her, Wanda had told him as much, poking him in the arm, reminding him that Darcy wasn't going to just wait around for him to make a move. And he knew that he would have to be the one to make, he knew that Darcy worried about him, worried she was pushing too hard or being too loud in his life. 

She was the brightest spot in his life, the face he wanted to see first thing in the morning, and the last voice he wanted to hear at night.

‘You've had a real crappy day huh?’

'Yeah James I really have.’

‘Do you think dinner a movie might brighten up your mood?’

The silence tugged at everything in him, doubts and fears and-

'Is this a let's make Darcy feel better pity dinner? Or a take Darcy to dinner dinner?’

Taking a deep breath he trusted that the chance he was talking was right. 

'A dinner dinner.’

‘Oh thank heavens. I mean not that I wouldn't be opposed to the other but I was really hoping it was a dinner dinner.’

The smile was back in her voice. So maybe he hadn't just listened, maybe he had been able to help brighten her day after all.

'I've been meaning to ask you for a while now, been working my way up to it.’

‘I know James and I'm glad you did, I really am.’

He was really glad too.


	5. 31- Pulling out a chair for them to sit down at the table up

 

 

The text has been vague.  '8pm. Bring snacks and snark.’ Well vague for Darcy. Her texts usually ran into ⅓. James had gotten better at replying but he had never needed a1/2.

 

‘?’

 

‘No questions mister.  I won fair and square and you're all mine tonight.’

 

And if that just didn't give him ideas. He was more than happy to be hers on any night, in any context.  But he was pretty sure that wasn't in the cards tonight. There was flirting and smiles and looks, but that was all it was, for now, and for tonight.

 

‘HI.’ The smile she greeted him with never failed to give his heart an extra stutter.  He had been surprised by the initial invite to her place, he forgot sometimes that how things were done now was so different than how it was done before.  So he had gone to her place for lunch and a movie, he liked how warm and colorful it was, he could breathe easier when he was there.

 

Well, he did that whenever he was around Darcy. 

 

‘You came!’ His eyebrows rose. ‘You doubted I would.’ 

 

‘Well no, you've never let me down.  I'm just excited and nervous.’ Now he was curious.  She took his six pack of birch beer with a thanks and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the kitchen and beyond, to the breakfast nook.  Her apartment was identical to his in size and layout, her view had southern exposure, his north. 

 

His place didn't have nearly as much stuff though. ‘Ta-da!’ She waved a hand at the table with a flourish, and pulled a chair out for him.  She never ceased to surprise him, he hoped she never would. 

 

Smiling, he took the seat she offered him and couldn't help wonder at how strange and sweet it was when she pushed it in for him.  ‘What's all this doll?’ 

 

There were a stack of board games with unfamiliar titles next to the sodas she had put down.  ‘You're my new game night secret weapon. Congratulations.’

 

‘Game night?’ He recalled her ranting to Sam about Parker and game night, it was their thing apparently.  ‘Yup you're going to get a crash course in these,’ she pressed a finger to the lid of the box on top of the stack. ‘And at the next game night Parker and Ned are going down.’

 

James had never seen her quite so riled up, competition it seemed did things to her and that did things to him.  ‘You promised me one favor if I won, and I'm cashing it in. You're not going to flake out on meat you?’

 

He smirked, ‘I ain't no flake.’  Looking up at her he waved at the chair across from her, his smile was wide and he did not miss the way her eyes tracked the movement of his lips.  ‘Show me what you got doll.’

 

Darcy took a moment to collect her thoughts, then pointed at him, ‘You are evil with that.’

 

‘What?’  He tone was innocent and his eyes wide, she was not amused. ‘The lips and the tongue, and you know exactly what that does and we will be discussing that and its effects soon. Tonight we are plotting and planning and Parker is going down.’ 

 

James was and would be ready for that conversation but first he had to help his girl squish a spider. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Darcy teaches him the finer points of Carcassonne, Pandemic, and Munchkin. James sees a ruthless side of Darcy that fascinates him. Parker and Ned lose spectacularly at the next game night.


	6. 11-Telling them a dumb joke just to see them smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written anything in a while, inspiration struck, so I thought I would end this shit year on a positive note.

11-Telling them a dumb joke just to see them smile

The smile had been more of a lifting of the lips, at least on one corner of his mouth had moved, but that tiny movement had hooked her. James Buchanan Barnes, of the firm handshake and guarded eyes needed every reason to smile. 

That first time had been an accident, she had been chatting to Tabitha, one of the overnight cleaning crew who was heading out as she was heading in. The joke had been cheesy, like the worst dad joke times 10. But Tabitha had barked out a laugh and Sergeant Barnes gave her that sliver of a smile. 

Sam had teased her about it. She told him to go back to eating his old man fiber drink. Over his squawks of protest that it was a protein shake she leaned over to Tabithat and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear that the Falcon, ‘Had a problem staying regular.’ 

That had earned her another laugh from her friend, more protests from Sam and an even bigger upturn of the lips from the Sergeant himself. Their paths hadn’t crossed often before that but she might have looked for him a little more after that. Maybe conned Sam into bringing him to an impromptu movie night. 

Whenever she did see him, she made sure to hit him with a knock knock or lightbulb. The lamer, the better, the cheesier the bigger the almost smile. 

Until it had become a real smile and maybe he had started looking for her and coming up with excuses to swing by the labs just about the time she was ready for a walk and something sweet. If he smiles before the words ever leave her mouth she was more than okay with that.


	7. 7-Kissing a bruise

7-Kissing a bruise 

FRIDAY’s alert, requesting his presence in medical had shaken him, for one split second he had frozen thinking the worst. The look he had exchanged with Sam had been one of shock and horror. Succinctly FRIDAY told them Darcy had been in an incident in the labs, not an assault FRIDAY was quick to tell them. Compounds had mixed that shouldn’t have in the lab next door and there had been an explosion, the blast had knocked over a bookcase, said bookcase had fallen onto Darcy. 

She had briefly lost consciousness, but the doctors had diagnosed the concussion as mild. The sprain in her right wrist was severe though, even with all the tech they had at their disposal, she was in for an awkward few days until it healed. After spending the night in medical, concussions mild or not were not to be underestimated, she hadn’t wanted to be alone and he hadn’t wanted to leave her.

What they had started was still new, but he knew he cared about her, had loved her as a friend long before they had taken a step towards more.

‘Always figured I would be the one getting called to medical.’ She leaned back against his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist. The elevator ride was short and quiet. ‘Thank you for coming. For being here.’ 

He squeezed her tight, the words stuck in his throat, how he wanted to be here, cared so much about her. On the way to medical after the message had come through, he had been terrified, despite what FRIDAY had told them, he hadn’t taken a full breath until he had seen her. Then she winced when reaching for him and he had hated that she was in pain.

So when she tilted her head up to look at him, he pressed a kiss, so light she would barely feel it, to the bruise under her left cheekbone. ‘I don’t want to be anywhere else,’ he finally managed.

‘Yeah?’

He nodded, ‘Yeah.’

She smiled, ‘I’m glad,’ and pressed a kiss to his chin. ‘Besides I’m so going to need your help washing my hair.’

Of course she could get him to smile, to laugh, even when his stomach was in knots. ‘Scared me Darce.’ Her left arm lifted, hand going around his neck, fingers sliding into his hair, tugging him close. Never one to deny her, he dropped his chin on her shoulder. ‘Scared me too.’

Life was precious, their time together so short, he would hold every minute of it close.


End file.
